LUCKY?

November 17, 2018 - March 3, 2019

Lucky? explores the history and effects of gold-mining and the pursuit of wealth in Australia through a contemporary lens. Co-curated by Sophia Cai and Claire Watson, the exhibition brings together a range of works that speak to issues relating to exploitation and mining of the land for gold and desecration of Country. The selected works interrogate wealth and the Australian dream of finding a better life — a fair go — in the context of cultural, racial and political inequalities. The exhibition asks: Does the Australian way of life enable us to remain the lucky country or are there darker forces impacting on this? With over 25 consecutive years of positive economic growth in Australia, what are the hidden social and environmental costs of this wealth generation and how does globalism affect this? How did the Gold-rush impact Australia’s first-nation and Australian Chinese people and are these effects still being felt today?